Mumbai proposes ban on lingerie clad mannequins

Following a gruesome trend of sexual attacks on Indian women, authorities are scrambling to stamp out sex crimes – apparently blamed on sexual desires of men – by banning mannequins wearing skimpy lingerie.

A member of city council in the Indian city of Mumbai claims that these inanimate objects can seduce men into assaulting women, reports AFP.

“I believe that mannequins, especially the two-piece clothes, have an impact on the incidence of crimes against women in the state. Such a display affects the mindset of men,” Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) member Ritu Tawade said.

Tawade said the draft of the proposal, which will ban lingerie-clad mannequin from shopfronts and store showrooms, is awaiting final clearance from the civic body’s chief.

The proposal triggered derision from commentators and women’s rights groups.

“What nonsense. Mannequins are on display in so many countries. Thinking of committing a crime is in the head and not from an outside source,” activist Sharada Sathe said.

An Indian news portal also criticized Tawade’s motion. “Except a handful of perverts who don’t need the provocation of a plastic doll in lace to pounce on women, average Indian men don’t break into sweat and run into lampposts at the mere sight of lingerie,” an article read.